Let’s Improve Your Website Conversion Rate With A Checklist

It’s important to analyze your website periodically so that you can improve your website conversions rate, which basically means you will get more inquires and leads from the same amount of visitors as you get now, simply by refining your website. This checklist will go over general conversion checkpoints as well as improving sales and opt-in pages.

General Website Conversion Rate Checkpoints

Successful business woman working online at the office

These are general improvements you can make to improve conversions for any website and any page on any website.

Ensure Fast Loading Times — You only have a moment to impress, make sure your pages load fast. You want them to load as fast as possible but you don’t want any page to take more than 3 to 7 seconds to load.

Cross Browser & Device Compatibility — Using responsive design can help deal with issues of device compatibility. Check your website on multiple browsers as well to ensure everything looks and works as it should.

Custom 404 Pages — This is a super easy update to make that can increase conversions on a normally unused and forgotten page and is a great back up if you have undiscovered broken links. Using LeadPages to create custom 404 pages is simple and fast.

Pop-ups & Pop-unders — Think really hard before using them, and make sure that they’re not obtrusive and don’t happen every time someone visits your website. They are useful and do improve conversions when used properly.

Understandable Navigation — Your website’s navigation is supposed to enable users to view the information they most need to view and direct the reader to the right areas. Depending on your niche you may have a content based, task based, or transactional navigation. Choosing what is right depends on your objectives.

Security Issues — It’s imperative that you keep your website up to date and protected from worms, viruses and other security issues. If you use WordPress you can use plugins to help like All In One WP Security & Firewall.

Design Issues — Ensure that your website is up-to-date with current design conventions so that your visitor isn’t confused about what to do. The colors and graphics should be chosen based on what your target audience needs and expects.

Calls To Action — All call to actions should be clear, obvious, and present. If you don’t include call to actions you won’t convert. It’s as simple as that.

Testimonials — Including testimonials on your website will increase conversions every single time. Check up on your testimonials to ensure that links still work, and that the person who gave the testimonial is still reachable.

Improving Your Website Conversion Rate Sales.

When you create a sales page double check this list to ensure that you are covering all your bases to create high converting sale pages. Improving your sales page conversion isn’t hard, it only takes a few minor tweaks.

Use Bold Headlines — Is your headline bold and attention grabbing in terms of visuals and words? Does the headline grab the reader and pull them in?

Include Sub-headlines — Your sub-headlines should be descriptive and stand out to bring the reader’s eyes down the page. Remember that people scan vertically when reading online.

Stay Focused — Is the sales page focused on only one product or service? If not, consider creating other sales pages for each product. A single purpose sales page converts higher.

Have a Clear Purpose — The reader should understand the purpose of the sales page within the first 10 seconds of reading.

Use Bullet Points — Remember that readers scan vertically, creating bullet points will bring the eye further down the page and put points in the reader’s mind that you want to express.

Focus on Benefits — Remember that the reader only cares about what’s in it for them. While you want to share your story you also want to keep it focused on how your product benefits the reader.

Use Only Relevant Images — Do the images and visuals you use on the sales page reflect the mood and information that you want the reader to take away from the words on the page? Use images that drive points home instead of distract.

Provide Directions — It’s important to tell your readers what to do next. If you don’t tell them what to do next, clearly, and straight out, they probably won’t do anything.

Add Clear Call To Actions — Ensure that your calls to action are above the fold. You can put them in multiple areas, but one should always be above the fold even if the call to action is “scroll down or turn the page to find out more.”

Reduce Navigation — On sales pages only include navigation that is needed, you’ll confuse the reader by including information that is not needed to make a purpose. The sales page should be singularly focused.

Reduce Information Required — The less information you collect at the beginning the more likely you are to get opt-ins. Remember once someone signs up for your list you can always get more information later.

Remember Legal Issues — Be sure to add a privacy statement, and disclaimer to your sales page under the submit button.

Add Social Proof — Testimonials, expert endorsements, and other forms of social proof should be added to your sales page for higher conversions. People like to buy from those they know, like and trust.

Improving Website Conversion Rate Opt-In Pages.

Opt-in pages aren’t much different from your regular website and your sales pages but they have a clear purpose of getting your readers to opt-in for something such as your newsletter. There are tried and true methods to improving opt-in rates below. Be sure to go through the checklist for each opt-in page that you create to improve conversions.

Make Headlines Stand Out — Capitalize the first word of each word in the headline. Make the headline bigger than sub-headlines and sub-headlines bigger than paragraph text. The copy should also make sense in terms of what it makes the reader think and feel.

Use Descriptive Bullet Points — This will help create feelings and ideas in the mind of the reader, leading them to the call to action. This is where your power words should go.

Create Relevant Designs — Should your opt-in page be serious, light hearted or friendly? Does the design and color reflect this idea?

Is the Page Scanable? — People read vertically when reading online, if someone only read the headlines, sub-headlines and bullets would they have a good idea of what they’re opting in for?

Craft Personable Copywriting — Speak directly to the customer in a way they will relate to. Always write copy directly to the person in a friendly, relatable manner.

Get to The Point — While long sales pages do tend to convert at a higher rate, it’s imperative that you get to the point fast anyway.

Use White Space — Plenty of white space will help you get your message across easier. Reading online can often be difficult without plenty of white space. If your opt-in page is too busy and distracting they might forget to opt-in.

Use Images Carefully — Any images you use should reflect the meaning of the words on the page and not distract from the words.

Create Clear Call To Actions — If you want someone to opt in you’re going to have to tell them to. Tell them what they’re getting by opting in, why they should do it, how it benefits them, and how to do it.

Whether you use video or text or both your website, sales page, and opt-in pages should provide a strong introduction, an explanation or statement of the problem or issue, an emotional explanation that clearly shows empathy and understanding of the customer’s pain points, a demonstration of how you’re going to solve the customer’s pain and a clear and an obvious call to action.

To aid everyone with their website conversion rate improvements I have put the above checklist together with a brain storming worksheet together, so that you can download these and get started on improving the amount of leads your business generates.